5.8 - The Perpetual Bond

Rating

Votes

10

7%

7

9

26%

25

8

33%

32

7

22%

21

6

7%

7

5

2%

2

4

3%

3

3

0%

0

2

0%

0

1

0%

0

Average Rating

7.9

Votes

97

Synopsis

When the TARDIS materializes in a familiar junkyard in the 1960s, the Doctor and Steven are soon embroiled in a mystery in the City of London. Who are the mysterious bowler-hatted businessmen with their deadly umbrellas? And what secret is young Oliver Harper desperately trying to conceal?

Contracts have been signed. A deal is in place. And the Doctor discovers that perhaps not even he can stop a terrible business...

This companion chronicle introduces us to the character of Oliver Harper, played by Tom Allen, which we will see adorn the next couple of releases from this range. However this release sees Oliver is a market trader, and the Doctor and Steven arriving back in Totter's Scrap Yard to potentially visit Ian and Barbara back in London. However they are drawn to the goings on with the market, a trading of stocks and shares are furthest from the intention of those wheeling and dealing.

Peter Purves is completely under rated, his portrayal as his own character in these companion chronicles is stunning, it is also worth pointing out the Peter's 1st Doctor characterisation is subtly different to William Russell's to the extent of it being uniquely original yet still giving the listener the belief that we still have the wonderful Bill Hartnell with us. This story allows us exploration of more 1st Doctor stories that never quite made it to the screen, and now so many years later allow us enjoy the first incarnation, with new adventures, I would argue that they are much better, as the audio format lends itself better to painting new worlds with the companions that graced his tenure.

Cracking story, a little thin on content in real terms but well above the norm.

'The Perpetual Bond' was recorded on 27 May 2010 and is the first in Oliver's trilogy, which was followed up with 'the Cold Equations'. Having landed in Foreman's junkyard in 1966 the Doctor and Steven with the help of Oliver, a city trader, uncover aliens made of living glass are selling Human livestock on the galactic market. Oliver is harbouring a secret, but what is it?

The acting is pitched at the right level and the characters move like chess pieces but Oliver isn't really expanded on until the next segment of the trilogy. The music is jazz infused sixties funk wallowing under the various effects and sounds that that help etch detail in the soundscape.

This has more action than a lot of the Companion Chronicles I have heard but on the whole feels distinctly average, especially in comparison to 'the Cold Equations' which is a more emotive and wistful tale. Even still it's a good fast moving preamble to the rest of the trilogy that ends with 'the First Wave'. I love the way the story weaves itself into events of the time. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Once the Sara Kingdom Trilogy concluded Big Finish wasted no time in getting Simon Guerrier to write another trilogy of stories for the Companion Chronicles and this time we get introduced to Oliver Harper. Oliver is from a 1966 firm where he meets up with the Doctor and Steven to take on evil fungus bankers. Well I'll give the story that, it's very imaginative and something you could easily imagine happening in post-World War II as Britain's economy was in shambles. The situation created here works really well. Oliver Harper also makes a really good first impression and Steven Moffat needs to take a note out of Guerrier's book on how to write for a companion with a secret. Here the secret isn't in our face but is subtly hinted at as when everything is said and done Oliver refuses to go to the police and avoids a couple of questions. And it is only mentioned once that he has a secret outright.

There are however a couple of small problems I have with the story. Mainly that the cliffhanger to Part One (The Perpetual Bond) doesn't work well. Also the idea feels like a rip off of John Carpenter's They Live which would be fine if there was an exploration of why regular people can't see the aliens. They mention that it has something to do with simplistic minds and only other aliens or people who have had some sort of trauma can see them as well.